President Trump today announced the cancellation of tariff negotiations with Canada, apparently in response to an advertisement the Province of Ontario ran in U.S. markets. The ad ran clips of President Ronald Reagan lambasting tariffs as counterproductive to America’s economic growth.
Last Tuesday, Trump mentioned the ad and said, “If I was Canada, I’d take that same ad also.” In a sudden reversal on Thursday, he attacked the ad as “FAKE” after seeing a statement from the Ronald Reagan Foundation claiming, incorrectly, that the ad misrepresented the former president. All clips were assembled from Reagan’s 5-minute speech in 1987.
It is not clear why Trump’s interpretation changed, but his mood shifted from empathy to anger as he posted on his social media site that Reagan “actually … LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY.” White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles reportedly spent three hours trying to explain that Reagan couldn’t have loved something he explicitly called “a terrible mistake” without using the words “you’re wrong,” which are forbidden under the current staff protocols. The White House was in disarray the remainder of the day. Calls for comments went unanswered, though muffled shouting could be heard in the background of several voicemail greetings.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer clocked into the conversation, saying “Americans cannot afford Donald Trump’s price-spiking tariff temper tantrums. These constant tantrums end up costing Americans real money.” He added, “The madness must stop!”
When asked if “madness” was too strong a word, Schumer replied, “I workshopped ‘unhinged,’ ‘deranged,’ and ‘batshit crazy’ with my staff, but we settled on madness as the most senatorial option.”
“They’re criticizing me! Nobody does that, not without paying a price!” Trump said as he left the White House this afternoon, stopping to address reporters for the fourth unscheduled press availability of the day. “They’re trying to turn the Supreme Court against me! They’re poisoning the country with mean words that are FAKE!” Before he stepped into a waiting limo, he shouted, “Nobody criticizes me! Just you wait, Canada!”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he would stop airing the ad on Monday. “We never meant to hurt anyone’s feelings,” Ford explained to reporters. “We just assume facts are still facts up here.” It was unlikely, however, to calm the exchange. The ad is set to run during games one and two this Friday and Saturday in Toronto of the World Series between Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Ronald Reagan Foundation declined to comment further, though sources say they’re considering a new policy requiring authentication before any politician can claim Reagan would have supported their positions. “It’s like a paternity test,” explained one staffer, “a prophylactic for policy positions that would make Reagan spin in his grave.” The Foundation added they are reviewing the 3,854 claims made since 2016.